The UK's only industry awards for free from food & drink

2021 Categories

The Free From Food Awards 2021 are now closed - the Presentation Party is scheduled for May 27th at 6pm.

Join us on the night by registering here!

Timeline

  • Entry opened on Monday 21st September 2020
  • Early entry 10% discount ended on 31st October 2020
  • Entry closed on Sunday 6th December 2020
  • Details of samples/delivery dates were sent out mid-December 2020
  • Judging took place March/April 2021
  • Finalists were published beginning May 2021

Entry Fees

  • £185 + VAT per product (Big Brand); £105 + VAT per product if you have 3 or fewer employees (Small Brand)
  • 10% discount on entry forms received before 31st October 2020
  • 10% discount for Small Brands only who enter 6 or more products
  • Entering the awards entitles each entering brand to one free ticket to the Awards’ Presentation party in May 2021

New for 2021

· Best Independent Brand of the Year ·

Sponsored for 2021 by Nutraceuticals Group Europe

A new category designed to celebrate the role of independent brands in the development of the freefrom sector.  There will be awards for both the Best Small Brand (with 3 or fewer employees) and the Best Big Brand.  To qualify for this award, entrants will need to have entered a minimum of 3 products into the awards for a ‘Small Brand’, and 6 for a ‘Big Brand’.

· Best Labelling for a FreeFrom Product ·

Sponsored for 2021 by RSSL

The labelling of freefrom food – what to include, what to leave out, whether or not to use PAL/may contain warnings – is a minefield.  This award is given to a product whose label is not only clear and compliant but benchmarks excellence in helping the FF consumer identify safe food.

Products will be considered if they have been entered in at least one other category.  There will be a supplemental charge of £35 per product (on top of the fee that you have paid to enter the original category) to enter for this award.

· Best Packaging for a FreeFrom Product ·

The judges will be looking for the most innovative, exciting and sustainable packaging format for a freefrom food, which could be in terms of production method, design and/or materials.

Products will be considered if they have been entered in at least one other category.  There will be a supplemental charge of £35 per product (on top of the fee that you have paid to enter the original category) to enter for this award.

· Foods Manufactured For Food Service ·

The return of our category devoted to foods manufactured for food service – so crucial as the sector tries to recover from the COVID pandemic.

· Best Digital Presence for a FreeFrom Brand ·

Sponsored for 2021 by DigitalJen

For any freefrom brand a strong digital presence (website, social media) is essential – even more so in COVID times when selling direct to the customer has become crucial.  Creating that presence requires a huge amount of work – on top of actually developing, preparing and selling your products.

This award will celebrate a really strong online presence including a positive digital user experience: a website and social media to which a freefrom consumer is drawn, that they feel they can trust and that they can use to access information and/or safe products.

Our judges will be looking to see how the freefrom consumer is engaged, how easy it is for a customer to buy freefrom products (either directly or from a third party) and how the digital presence informs and educates them in all things freefrom.

Special Awards

· Retailer of the Year ·

Sponsored for 2021 by Oakland International

An exciting category designed to recognise the significant role that the supermarkets play in the freefrom sector.

This category requires a minimum entry of 25 products into full price categories of which the top scoring 20 will be considered for this award.

· FreeFrom Hero Award·

Sponsored for 2021 by Natasha’s Allergy Research Foundation

We are seeking someone who has made a major contribution to freefrom, in no matter how humble or pivotal a role.  An excellent caring freefrom school cook, a cafe owner who really caters freefrom, a CEO who has altered food manufacturing processes to allow for allergen-free production – all suggestions welcome

1. Innovation Award

Sponsored for 2021 by Nairn’s Oatcakes

No matter how large or small you are you can have great ideas.  New concepts, innovative use of ingredients or manufacturing techniques, unusual recipes, new ways to deliver health or flavour.  We want to know about them.

  1. For companies with a turnover of less than £100,000
  2. For companies with a turnover of more than £100,000

2. Almost Totally FreeFrom

To accommodate people with allergies to some of the ingredients outside the list of UK-recognised top 14 allergens (such as pea – now widely used as an alternative) we have added pea/chickpea to our list of allergens. Entries must still be free of 14 allergens, but entrants can choose which 14 they exclude. For instance a peanut puff, which excludes 14 of our 15 listed allergens will now be eligible for this category.
For a fuller explanation of our thinking see this post.

Cereals containing gluten
Crustaceans
Eggs
Fish
Peanuts
Soybeans
Milk
Nuts
Celery
Mustard
Sesame seeds
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
Lupin
Molluscs
Peas/chickpeas

3. Best Product from a Start-Up

Sponsored for 2021 by Tesco

This category is only open to products manufactured by entrants who have been in business for less than two years (eg they must have started trading no earlier than 21st September 2018).  Products will only be considered if they have been entered in at least one other category.  There will be a supplemental charge of £25 per product (on top of the fee that you have paid to enter the original category) to enter for this award.

The award will be made based on the quality of the product and not on any other aspect of the company’s business.

4. Artisan Foods

Sponsored for 2021 by Seedful

Artisan is a term used to describe food produced by non-industrialised methods – no matter where it is sold.  Artisan food makers should have mastered the craft of their particular production and show a historical, experiential, intuitive and scientific understanding of the process.  They should also be sensitive to the impact of their production on people and the environment.

5. Breakfast Foods

Sponsored for 2021 by Dr Schär

Always a very well-populated category, Breakfast Foods includes all of those delicious products which set you up for the day.

  1. Breakfast cereals
  2. Breakfast baked goods

6. Milk Product Alternatives

Sponsored for 2021 by Nature’s Path

This category includes milk alternatives, spreads/butters, cheeses and yoghurt.

  1. Lactose-reduced cow’s milk, goat, sheep, buffalo & camel products
  2. Plant based products

7. Breads

The most ‘staple’ of the staple products.  Whole loaves, sliced breads, rolls, speciality breads, pitta breads, naans, sandwich thins etc.

Please enter breakfast breads, croissants etc into Breakfast Foods.

Please enter sweet breads, tea breads etc into Tea Time.

8. Store Cupboard

Any store cupboard item whether ambient, dried or frozen, excluding pasta and pizza bases but including mixes.  Depending on entries we may subdivide this category and award individual or joint gold winners, silver and bronze awards.

  1. Mixes – cakes, breads etc
  2. Sauces
  3. Miscellaneous – Yorkshire puddings/mixes, flours, sugar replacement, xanthan gum etc

9. Pasta and Pizza

Sponsored for 2021 by Bute Island Foods

  1. Fresh and dried pasta
  2. Filled pasta
  3. Pizza bases and complete pizza

10. Snack Bars

Sponsored for 2021 by Romer Labs

An essential item in every school lunch box, briefcase, handbag and sports bag these days!

Cereal bars, fruit bars, energy bars, nut bars, protein bars, grain free bars, raw bars, superfood bars and many more.

11. Savoury Snacks and Crackers

Crisps and other snacks to accompany a drink, and crackers, to eat on their own or with cheese and dips.

12. Drinks

Sponsored for 2021 by Asda

Any alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that are found in a pub/bar/party

  1. A Shot of Class  – for liqueurs, whiskeys, gins, vodkas, proseccos, cocktail mixes, wines
  2. Gluten Free Beer & Cider – A category for all types of GF beer and cider. Beer must be GF and can be made with or without barley/wheat/rye/oats. Products are judged according to type, and can be AF or low alcohol.
  3. Mixing it Up – for soft drinks and mixers

13. Meat, Fish & Vegetarian Ready Meals

Any meal that you can take out of the freezer, the fridge or the store cupboard – then heat up and enjoy in front of the telly! Includes sausages & burgers, fishcakes, and any vegetarian equivalent as well.

14. Vegan Snacks and Meal Ideas

Sponsored for 2021 by Planted

Anything from a vegan crisp or sausage roll – to a full meal. Products entered into this category must qualify as vegan and freefrom – and be free of at least one of the 14 major allergens.

15. Child and Teen Friendly Food

Sponsored for 2021 by Genius Gluten Free

From an early age, children on restricted diets are very food aware, nutritionally conscious and can have surprisingly sophisticated tastes. The food you make for them needs to meet and surpass their expectations in terms of taste, packaging, nutrition, sustainability, innovation and above all safety. We are looking for entries aimed at age groups including post-toddler, children, tweens and early to late teens, to track changing tastes and trends. This category will not be judged blind, in order to get feedback on clear and safe packaging design and labelling. All products entered into this category will be purchased and judged in their own homes by families with allergy reactor children and teenagers across all age groups – read more about the judging process.

16. Tea Time

Sponsored for 2021 by FREEE by Doves Farm

A popular category with a generous entry of delicious scones, crumpets, biscuits, cookies, brownies, cake bars, cakes, celebration cakes, and seasonal products (such as Simnel cakes, mince pies). Judges assess artisanal/handmade and factory made entries separately and on their own merits; they are not directly compared.

17. Dessert and Puddings

Every kind of hot and cold dessert and pudding from sticky toffee pudding to ice cream, including seasonal desserts such as Christmas puddings.

18. Confectionery – Chocolate and Sweets

Sponsored for 2021 by Unismack

We are looking for everything from everyday chocolate, sweets and candy bars to seasonal confectionery (Christmas and Easter), low sugar/sugar free confectionery and any other sort of confectionery!

19. The Gift Category

Exciting, elegant, indulgent and thoughtful sweet or savoury products that you’d be proud to buy as presents for friends and relatives!

If you have any queries or would like to talk to us, please contact us or call on +44(0)7790 869706